[Gunnair]

$1:

Rewind to May in Richmond when Ryan Newman refused to give Juan Pablo Montoya an inch at Richmond. Watch it here. Rewind even further to the Sprint All-Star Showdown at Charlotte in 2010. Keep in mind, this is the race to get into the All-Star race. Watch it here. Regan Smith did not give Montoya and inch. After the wreck, Montoya blasted Smith.


Now, at Atlanta, Montoya was on the other end of a similar incident. Of course, it was later in the race, but if you are going to preach give and take, you got to abide by your own counsel. Here is the incident at Atlanta with Chase for the Championship contender Clint Bowyer. Watch it here.


At Richmond, Montoya retaliated against Newman, which led to an ugly incident in the NASCAR hauler a week later in Darlington. Of course, if you watched the video of the Regan Smith incident, Montoya was extremely condescending towards Smith in his interview.


After he did the same thing to Bowyer that he claimed was done to him at Charlotte and Richmond in previous races, this is what he had to say.


"They all get pretty stuck up because they're trying to get in the Chase and he's looking for a ride and everything. He needs to prove himself more...Call me whatever you want, but if I'm there, I'm there."


Well, Newman was 'there' at Richmond, and Montoya still took exception. Smith was 'there' at Charlotte, and Montoya threw a fit. So, when Montoya is 'there', all is well to take the guy in front of you out.


Furthermore, I find it quite humorous that a driver with two road course wins and one Chase appearance, states that a driver with double the wins, and three Chase appearances needs to prove himself more.


I mentioned in a previous piece that I had really begun to warm up to Montoya prior to this season. At first, I felt he entered NASCAR with a strong sense of entitlement because of his success open wheel racing. He was greatly humbled in 2007 and 2008. In 2009, it was fun to see him compete up front. He seemed to have finally grasped what it takes to succeed in NASCAR's top level of competition.


However, he reverted to his prior ways and his less desirable qualities have resurfaced. Montoya lost some major street credit when reports that he sicked his lawyer on NASCAR and Newman after the alleged punch in the NASCAR hauler surfaced. Supposedly, NASCAR was forced to levy a secret fine of $50,000 to Newman.


I think Bowyer had it right when he called Montoya a 'jack-ass'.


Bowyer and Newman are not the only driver to encounter on-track issues with Montoya. Kasey Kahne called him out at Infineon. Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, and Jimmie Johnson have also had issues with Montoya in 2011.


Oh yeah, just to show that these were no isolated incidents, watch Montoya clipping another driver at Bristol last year. Watch it here.

This guy continues his efforts to become a liability. Go JP!

[Gunnair]

$1:

Jeff Owens: With 85 career wins, is Jeff Gordon one of the top three drivers of all-time?

COMMENTARY

Two weeks ago, Jeff Gordon was standing around the garage at Bristol Motor Speedway talking to Donnie Allison about Allison’s brother, Bobby, and Bobby’s long-running dispute with NASCAR.

Bobby Allison is listed in the official NASCAR record book as having 84 Cup victories, tied for third on the all-time list with Darrell Waltrip. Allison, though, claims he actually won 85 races. Something about a long-ago race he didn’t get credit for winning.

Ironically, a week later, the issue would become even more important because Gordon won Tuesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, giving him 85 career wins and sole position of third place on the all-time win list.

At least according to NASCAR.

The significance, and irony, of the accomplishment were not lost on the 40-year-old Gordon.

“You know, that's what's encouraging to try to get to 86,” Gordon said. “As far as I'm concerned, I'm probably still tied with Bobby. And as long as it's in Bobby's head that we are tied, then that's still a great thing.

“So it's to be debated for, sure. … It's interesting when you hear the story and the debate of why they feel like they're at 85.

“But listen, I'm just thrilled to be at 85 in the company that I'm with. Bobby and Darrell, and you look at being behind David [Pearson] and Richard [Petty], it's something very significant. Something I'm very proud of.”

The debate about how many wins Allison actually had likely will rage on forever.

The debate now, though, is this:

Where does Gordon rank among the all-time greats?

He’s third on the all-time win list, trailing only Petty (200 career wins) and Pearson (105). But is he the third-best driver of all-time?

How does he stack up against Allison, Waltrip and Cale Yarborough, the drivers just behind him on the list?

And how does he compare to such legendary champions as Dale Earnhardt and five-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson, who are certainly in the discussion as well?

As Petty, Pearson and others have said many times before, it’s very difficult – and perhaps a bit unfair – to compare drivers from different eras. The times and circumstances were just too different, and the sport has changed dramatically since those rough-and-tumble early years.

Yet we know that Gordon has compiled his numbers in the most competitive era in the sport’s history.

When Gordon broke into the Cup series as a baby-faced, cheesy-mustache-wearing driver in 1993, Earnhardt was in the process of winning his sixth championship. Rusty Wallace was battling Earnhardt door to door, winning 10 races that year, and Mark Martin and Ernie Irvan were forces as well, as were several other veteran drivers.

Earnhardt won his record-tying seventh championship in 1994 and Wallace won eight more races, while Gordon scored his first two Cup victories.

The boy wonder – or Wonder Boy, as Earnhardt fondly called him – had arrived.

A year later, Gordon pronounced his presence with authority (one of my favorite sports clichés), winning seven races and stopping Earnhardt’s reign as the perennial champion.

A star was born and everyone knew then that Gordon was destined for greatness.

He won three more championships during the next six years and amassed 58 career victories by 2001.

By age 30, Gordon had already established himself as one of the all-time greats. The only question then was how far could he go? Would he tie Petty and Earnhardt with seven championships? Would he top 100 career victories and chase Petty’s elusive 200?

Gordon’s pace has slowed considerably in the past 10 years, leaving him still chasing the “Drive For Five” he started after the 2001 season.

He has won just 27 races in the past decade and has endured two winless seasons in the past four years.

He nearly won a fifth title in 2007, finishing second and coming up just short to Johnson. NASCAR’s new-fangled Chase For The Sprint Cup has not been kind to him. He’s finished second or third in the Chase three times, but also has finished sixth, seventh and ninth, and missed it altogether in 2005.

Had NASCAR not implemented the Chase, Gordon likely would have at least two more championships by now. But the 10-race playoff has become somewhat of a crapshoot – one Gordon has failed to master.

“I've been trying to step it up for 10 years,” Gordon said after his win at Atlanta Tuesday. “I think that the Chase format is definitely more challenging. Those 10 tracks are significant ones.

“I feel like we've had good years, and even when I go back to '07 when we battled with Jimmie and won races in the Chase and everything else, but we still couldn't get it done.”

With three wins this season, Gordon says he feels rejuvenated and believes his Hendrick Motorsports team is prepared to make one more run at the title.

Whether he wins it or not, Gordon has pretty much sealed his place as one of the top three or four drivers of all-time.

He has more wins and more championships than Allison, Waltrip and Yarborough, all NASCAR Hall of Famers.

He has more wins than Earnhardt, but not as many championships, sparking a fierce debate between two passionate fan bases.

Earnhardt and Gordon are the two greatest drivers of the 1980s and ’90s. How they stack up is a tough call, but Earnhardt probably gets the nod over Gordon because of his seven championships.

Pearson won 105 races while running mostly a part-time schedule, which is both a credit to his greatness and a knock against him when it comes to such comparisons.

He only won three championships, however, and all three came in the 1960s, which gives both Earnhardt and Gordon a leg up on him.

It’s hard to rank anyone ahead of Petty, with his seven titles and record 200 victories, a mark that may never be broken.

Though Earnhardt and Gordon both produced phenomenal, record-setting numbers against tougher competition and in more competitive eras, ranking them ahead of Petty is risky and questionable.

So, with Gordon now third on the all-time win list, it appears that the greatest drivers of all time are Petty, Earnhardt and Gordon. In what order they should be ranked is yet another great debate.

But what about Johnson, the reigning champion who has won an unprecedented five straight titles? With 53 career victories, where does he fit among the all-time greats?

Probably just behind Earnhardt and Gordon. His five titles are already more than everyone except Petty and Earnhardt. And he no doubt will continue to add to his victory total for years to come.

Will he eventually surpass Gordon’s 85 wins?

And where will Gordon end up? With a few good years ahead of him, can he catch Pearson’s 105?

All those questions make for interesting debate, and the answers won’t be clear for years to come.

But one thing is clear:

With his 85th career win Tuesday, Jeff Gordon is not only third on the all-time win list, but one of the top three drivers of all-time.

Yes he is.

[sandorski]

For going in circles.

[ShepherdsDog]

Hey....they are ovals, which takes slightly more skill. Give er shit left turn, left turn.... give'er shit left turn, left turn give'er shit.

Rally driving and its off shoot drifting are a lot more exciting, as are F1 and the Indy street circuits. All of them require greater driving skills

[Tricks]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

Hey....they are ovals, which takes slightly more skill. Give er shit left turn, left turn.... give'er shit left turn, left turn give'er shit.

Rally driving and its off shoot drifting are a lot more exciting, as are F1 and the Indy street circuits. All of them require greater driving skills

Indeed. Never enjoyed Nascar but don't mind those. Le Mans too.

[xerxes]

In NASCAR probably. But in the overall realm of motorsports, not even close.

My top 3 would then be

1. Ayrton Senna.
2. Gilles Villeneuve
3. Mario Andretti

[DanSC]

Before everyone goes "Haha NASCAR drivers can't turn right"



And if a top-3 list was being made, you would have to consider Michel Schumacher,
Sébastien Loeb, and maybe Jackie Stewart.

[martin14]

Senna yes, Gordon no...

[DrCaleb]

He was like that in F1 too. Good to see not much changes!

[martin14]

Montoya is a joke driver, and now he is behaving like a little brat.


Time to send him back down to F1, he can't hack it in the big leagues.

[DanSC]

martin14 martin14:

Time to send him back down to F1, he can't hack it in the big leagues.

I want to say "Oh no you didn't, but Montoya could probably drive for Virgin right now.

[Brenda]

martin14 martin14:

Montoya is a joke driver, and now he is behaving like a little brat.


Time to send him back down to F1, he can't hack it in the big leagues.

Fixed that for ya

[martin14]

[Gunnair]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

Hey....they are ovals, which takes slightly more skill. Give er shit left turn, left turn.... give'er shit left turn, left turn give'er shit.

Rally driving and its off shoot drifting are a lot more exciting, as are F1 and the Indy street circuits. All of them require greater driving skills

Yes and no. NASCAR oval tracks may lack the road course requirements (although there are NASCAR road courses) but the issues of traffic are much more complicated because of the larger field and drafting - especially on the super speedways of Talledaga and Daytona. NASCAR races have 43 starters - F1 and Indy do not.

That being said, NASCAR has a lot of races at cookie cutter 1.5 mile tracks which have made racing there often a bit dull.

[Gunnair]

sandorski sandorski:

For going in circles.

Apparently another topic to comment on that you really have little knowledge of.